Electrical Energy from the Highway!
In this day and age we use many sources for generating electrical energy. But there are very few sources that do not have an adverse impact on the ecology of our environment. For example: Wind sources. The countryside is covered with countless electricity-generating windmills or solar collectors. Not necessarily a pretty sight. Likewise, hydroelectric power stations have a huge impact on the environment. And expanding the number of NUCLEAR AND COAL-FIRED POWER STATIONS has the greatest impact of all.
Global energy consumption is increasing. Taking 1994 consumption as a baseline, the International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that by year 2010 energy consumption in the industrialized countries will increase by 50%. The emission of pollutants will also increase over the same period. I believe that the solution is to make the greatest possible use of non-traditional sources of electrical energy.
The solution that I am proposing here relates to the use of existing roads and highways, which are always filled with automobiles and represent an untapped energy source.
a) no damage to the existing natural environment;
b) no contamination of the environment, surface water, or groundwater;
c) no physical or chemical pollution resulting from chemical wastes such as uranium or carbon dioxide.
Another advantage is the use of automotive transportation and its contribution to a new environmental process. I believe this area has a great potential.
1) The environment is not threatened by chemical emissions.
2) The location of this system means that it does not harm the surrounding countryside.
3) Its energy helps us, without the need for a long process.
4) It leads to greater highway safety.
5) Based on its principle, it utilizes a new source of energy.
6) The AKPS is economical.
7) It has a simple design.
8) It can be installed in city centers, on overpasses over roads and railroad tracks, and on streets and roads having steep downhill grades.
9) The AKPS uses each vehicle four times.
10) The economical and environmental principle of braking.
11) It can be installed equally well with all different types of automobiles without any need for modifications.
The AKPS Principle
It is based on the same principle as that encountered in gardening. Imagine a garden hose, one meter long, connected to a faucet on one end. The other end is open and is lying on the ground. We now turn on the tap so that water flows out the other end. Now we close the tap. The water stops flowing. We then step on the hose and observe what happens at the open end. Each time we step on the hose, water squirts out the open end. We can repeat this as long as there is water in the hose. The pressure hoses (89, 90, 91) shown in the drawing are based on this principle.
Installation
The correct positioning of the RIGHT AND LEFT PANELS (13, 22) is the key factor affecting the entire performance and operating life of the AKPS. The design of the electrical power station is based on the principle of taking a few percentage points of kinetic energy from each vehicle. This energy is directly proportional to the vehicle""s resistance.
The following rules must be observed in order to utilize this principle and not have a negative effect:
1) Installation: Only installed at locations where speed must be reducedxe2x80x94a) for safety reasons or b) when other situations require reduced speed, for example, on freeway exit ramps, on main thoroughfares, at intersections, in front of schools, business centers, or city centers, where the law stipulates that vehicle speed must be reduced, and in areas where special smog regulations apply.
2) On steeply inclined roads and highways. This means that vehicles traveling downhill have to reduce their speed for safety reasons.
3) Installation of the AKPS on other overpasses where speed has to be reduced.
The Function of the Roadway
Each vehicle should travel over the right-hand (R) and left-hand (L) S-panels (13, 22) located in the optimal path. We need to mark the given section of road, for example by means of visible lines. This method allows us to limit the path of the automobiles so that they do not travel on the sides.
Repairs
The greatest load on the entire circuit is essentially applied to the right and left S-panels (13, 22). Repairs should therefore merely involve easy panel replacement. Thus, the panels are designed to withstand such loads, and are constructed as simple, freely interconnectable parts, like those used in conveyor system vehicles.
The Function of the Automobile
Let us assume that the vehicle is traveling at velocity v1 and has a kinetic energy of:       E          k      1        =            1      2        ⁢          mv      1      2      
If the vehicle travels in a direction opposite to that of velocity v1, and has the kinetic energy represented by the constant force F, R+L S-panel (13, 22), its speed will change to velocity v2, and the kinetic energy will change to a value of       E          k      2        =            1      2        ⁢          mv      2      2      
Thus, the R+L S-panels (13, 22) perform mechanical work as a result of the force (F) acting upon them. This work corresponds to the change in kinetic energy:             E              k        2              -          E              k        1              =                              1          2                ⁢                  mv          2          2                    -                        1          2                ⁢                  mv          1          2                      =          Δ      ⁢              xe2x80x83            ⁢              E        K            
The change in the kinetic energy of the vehicle, xcex94EK, is equal to the mechanical work (W) and the applied force. It is:
xcex94Ek=W
If we also consider further that the vehicle wheels simultaneously produce a thrust motion and rotation, the kinetic energy becomes:       E    k    =                    1        2            ⁢              mv        2              +                  1        2            ⁢      J      ⁢              xe2x80x83            ⁢              ω        2            
Function
In the initial phase the wheels of each vehicle first travel over the PRESSURE CONTAINER (96), which is always resupplied with water (as can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2) and which compensates for the decrease in the amount of water in the pressure hose. The vehicle wheels begin to travel over the RIGHT and LEFT S-PANELS (13, 22), on which the cover sheet (88) is installed. The purpose of this sheet is to reduce the resistance between the vehicle wheels and the PRESSURE HOSE (89, 90, 91). It also helps to prevent damage to the upper exterior side. (See the visible difference, FIGS. 5, 6). The PRESSURE HOSE is located along the entire length (89, 90, 91) of the interior of the RIGHT+LEFT S-PANELS (13, 22). The kinetic energy and the weight of the vehicle applied to the wheels forces the water into the pipe at high pressure.
The water pressure outside the PRESSURE HOSE (89, 90, 91) is positively transformed through the pipe""s S-shaped position as well as in the semicircular curves that connect in series along the entire length of the pipes. This means that the kinetic energy of the vehicle acts in the same direction as that of its movement and that it results from its velocity and the weight of the vehicle, which is shorter than the pressure hose length (89, 90, 91). This pressure hose must be securely installed on the PANEL INSERT (92) so that it cannot move laterally when the vehicle passes over.
The PANEL INSERT (92) serves as a sealing and retaining cover for the PRESSURE HOSE (89, 90, 91). The RIGHT AND LEFT S-PANELS (13, 22) have a lower PLATE (93), which also has a smooth surface and which protects the PRESSURE HOSE (89, 90, 91) from damage.
Water pressurized in this manner passes is allowed to pass under high pressure via a SINGLE-PATH VALVE (43) in parallel into the PRESSURE HOSES (33) that lead out of the RIGHT AND LEFT S-PANELS (13, 22). The HOSES (33) are further connected to the CENTRAL VALVE (53) and from there on to the DISTRIBUTOR (60), where two basic versions, A and B, can be used.
A-VERSION: This is a two-position two-way distributor, which can perform the following:
(a) When sufficient pressure is present, allow the liquids to flow unimpeded to the generator, and
(b) when pressure is low, close off the fluctuating flow of liquid and to open the flow through the PRESSURE VESSEL VALVE (63) and from there on into the PRESSURE VESSEL (83).
This vessel allows water to flow into the HYDROELECTRIC GENERATOR (85) up to a set pressure limit. The pressure vessel is protected from excess pressure by means of a SAFETY VALVE (58). Since the containers are mass-produced, they must be built to withstand excess pressures in the flow through the generator.
B-version: Pressure source with a hydroelectric generator, which can be used for three different pressures. The maximum pressure is set at the pressure valve on the hydroelectric generator. The lower pressures are shunted incrementally through a DISTRIBUTOR (60) when the supply of pressure to the PRESSURE VESSEL (83) drops with the PRESSURE VESSEL VALVE (63).
Various types of DISTRIBUTORS (60) are used, depending on the design, power and degree of automation. The water passes through various processes under high pressure. In the final phase, the water passes through a DT/SE (80), which duplicates its pressure and transforms it to a maximum. The optimal position of the nozzle (80) also controls the water pressure, the maximum effect on the blades of the TURBINE (86), which is connected to the HYDROELECTRIC GENERATOR (85), from which the ELECTRICAL CURRENT is passed through a CABLE (113) to the TRANSFORMER (100). The water also passes through a CONTINUOUS FILTER (87), which keeps the liquid (water) in good operating condition in order to ensure that the entire system operates properly. The main requirement relating to the filter is that it must have a minimum pressure loss of one-tenth of the Mpa. The water then flows through the WATER PUMP (99), back through the AIR BLEEDER (98), through the CENTRAL VALVE (53), which distributes the water to the PIPES (33) on the RIGHTxe2x80x94LEFT S-PANELS and that close the electric power station loop.
Application of Fluid Mechanisms
The hydraulic and pneumatic mechanisms constitute an important part of the design. Their performance figures are increased significantly by integrating them with electronic control systems, thus increasing the productivity and reliability of the entire electrical power station. The effectiveness can be determined experimentally. Aside from easily measured parameters like pressure, flow, RPM, and torque, we always need to know the value of the geometric circuit. In the future, an auxiliary electrical power generator designed for very low and high pressures can be used in the area of the electrical power station.
Another important factor that we can use to affect the performance of the electrical power station is the direct dependency on the inlet valves, closing and reduction valves, and the control valves; also in the dependency on the hydraulic and reduction valves which are actuated mechanically or electrically, that we have to add to the scope of the station and in this way be able to design the electrical power stations for specific conditions.
The Future of AKPS
I believe that the advantage is improving the function of the pressure hoses as shown in FIGS. 11B and C. These are the wide-diameter main hoses, and weak only supplemental. Only the weak pressure hoses work in light traffic. The remaining pressure hoses are switched in when traffic is heavier. In maximum traffic, all the hoses are used, LEFT+RIGHT S-PANELS: As traffic decreases in the opposite direction, various pressure hoses are shut off with the aid of:
A) the front-end section
B) the computer, which on a downhill slope utilizes electrical, optical sensors. It is installed on the road surface.